Game apparatus.



No. 838,763. PATENTED 1150,18, 1906. w. R. AUSTIN & W. N. 'GRAW.

GAME APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19. 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT orrron.

\VILLIS R. AUSTIN AND WILLIAM N. (DRAW, OF SOUTH NORWALK, CON N ECTIOUT.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 18, 1906.

Application filed February 19, 1906. Serial No. 301,740.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIs R. AUSTIN and WILLIAM N. Cnaw, citizens of the United States, residing at South Norwalk, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a game adapted for either indoor or outdoor use and which may benplayedby either two or four players, the game calling for a high degree of skill on the part of the players and furnishing, es ecially when played out of doors, a gooc and healthful exercise, but without fatigue to the players;

With these and other objects in view we have devised the novel game apparatus which we will now describe, referring to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and using reference characters to indicate the several parts.

Figure 1 is a perspective of a field with the game set up thereon; Fig. 2, a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of one of the disks, showing a Inarker in place therein; and Fig. 3 is an elevation of a punt or mallet which we preferably employ.

The game may be played upon a field of any convenient size. If played upon a lawn, the lawn should be closely clipped, as for playing croquet. The essential elements of the game are one disk of any preferred color or marking, which is called the crown and is indicated by 10, eight similar disks, which may be of any suitable contrasting color or marking and are indicated by 11, four balls of any preferred color or marking, (indicated by 12,) four balls of a contrasting color or marking, (indicated by 13,) four punts or mallets, (indicated by 14,) which may be of colors corresponding with the colors or markings of the balls, six markers, (indicated by 15,) which may be of colors or markings corresponding with the balls and punts, and the two wire arches, (indicated by 16.)

The disks are pressed to a pyramidal form and are each provided with a central opening (indicated by 17) and with suitable prongs. or retaining projections at the edges, which are indicated by 18. The disks are made from sheet metal, and the prongs, especially in sets made for outdoor use, may be formed Integral therewith. In sets for use upon a floor or table the prongs may be made of wire to adapt them to engage small holes in the floor or table. Said prongs serve to retain the disks in the positions in which they are placed, so that, although made of sheet metal. and consequently light in weight, they will not be displaced by the impact of the balls.

The punts or mallets may be made entirely of wood, although we preferably use punts having a pad of rubber (indicated by 19) inserted in the striking end thereof.

The markers consist simply of rods, (inclicated by 20,) which are provided with heads,

(indicated' by 21.)

The arches are strips of wire bent to substantially U shape.

In setting up the game the disks are placed in rows of three at equal distances apart, the disk called the crown being placed at the center and the prongs being pressed well into the ground, if upon a lawn, to retain them securely in place. When the game is played upon a lawn, the disks are placed from three to five punt lengths a art, the latter distance being preferable. T e arches are placed at right angles to each other surmounting the crown. Two balls, one of each color, are placed midway between the corner-disks and the crown.

Each player selects a punt and ball of corresponding color. If four play, two may be partners against the other two. To determine the order of play, each player places a ball near a corner-disk and knocks it toward the center. The one whose ball stops nearest the crown plays first, and the others follow in order, the one whose ball stops farthest from the crown playing last. Each player begins by knocking his ball from its original position toward the crown and lodging it therein. If he fails, the next player takes his turn. As soon as a player lodges a ball in the crown it is taken out and placed one punts length from the crown in any direction and knocked until it is lodged in one of the outer disks, each player continuing to play until he misses a shot. The player or side who first succeeds in lodging five balls in disks, three of them in a straight line in any direction, wins the game. If the balls have all been lodged in such a position that neither player can win, the game goes to the old cat. Each ball must be played until it is lodged. When the outside disks have all been filled, the crown may be filled, provided the filling of the crown is necessary to decide the game. A player making a carom shot is entitled to an extra play. A player making a carom shot and filling a disk at one play is entitled to two extra plays. Carom shots must he called, as chance caroms do not count. A partners hall may he played upon to knock it into position or to lodge it in a disk. An opponents ball may be played upon to knock it out of position. If an opponents ball is lodged in a disk, it remains and counts for the opponent; but the player may have his extra shot. When a player has lodged his four balls, for his nextplay, he may remove the ball last lodged and start one punts length from the disk from which it was removed. When the ball is removed, a marker of cor responding color is placed. in the disk, as shown in Fig. 2. If a ball is knocked out of bounds, it may be placed two punt lengths from the line of disks on its line of departure.

Having thus described our invention, we claim- A game apparatus comprising a pyramidal center disk, a series of pyramidal outside disks, all of said disks having central openings, a series of balls, a series of corresponding markers adapted to obstruct the disks, and a series of corresponding punts.

In testimony whereof we al'lix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIS R. AUSTIN. WILLIAM N. CRAW.

WVitnesses:

JAMES PAUL, CATHERINE A. STEEeMiiLLER. 

